Eat What I Give You - Ezekiel 2:8-10

Ezekiel 2:8-10 ESV 

“But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.

The scroll is not given to Ezekiel, but spread before him. Christ is the only one worthy to take the scroll and break its seals as we read in Revelation. 

He is to warn Israel of the coming judgement, which will take final form as foretold in Revelation. Israel suffered in the past and it will be repeated to a greater degree in these latter days to degree never seen before or to be seen again. 

Israel defiled their own temple with all their abominations. The four horsemen in Revelation remind us of the of this judgment. The breaking of the seals shows us that the final days have arrived. 

There is a pause of the eschatological events until the number of the body of Christ is complete. 

The scroll was spread before Ezekiel, and spread before us in this book. He ate the scroll as we eat the flesh of Christ. We digest and understand the living word. 

In Heart - Jeremiah 9:24-26

Jeremiah 9:24-26 ESV 

but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh— Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the desert who cut the corners of their hair, for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.”

We understand and know the Lord because He is with us, we are sealed with His Spirit. It is with His Spirit that we are circumcised in the heart, for that is where He is. 

He stands at the door of our hearts and knocks. If we open our heart to Him, we then have fellowship with Him. There we find and know Him.  

The Beginning And The End - Revelation 22:12-13

Revelation 22:12-13 ESV

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

The first verse in Genesis says, "In the beginning God..."

Jesus says not only is He the beginning, but He is the end. He is the purpose and fulfillment of creation. We move and have our being in Him because of this. Our highest honor and achievement is to accept this gift to His glory. It is predestined that all who believe on His name will inherit the unimaginable riches of our Father. 

He sees the end from the beginning, for He is both.   

Have Come - Hebrews 12:22-24

Hebrews 12:22-24 ESV 

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,

and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,

and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

We have arrived at the mountain of God. To the city of God, the New Jerusalem. We have been made perfect in Jesus. All these things are in the perfect tense, meaning that this work is completed. We are to live and remain in that work. 

As Jesus said, "It is finished."

Put It On Him - Mark 15:17

Mark 15:17 ESV 

And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him.

A purple robe was the opposite of what Jesus wore in His ministry. He came in the form of a servant. He will return in the white robe of light. 

A crown of thorns was the opposite of what Jesus will be wearing when He returns. He will return as King of Kings. Every knee will bow. 

The ground was cursed with thorns  because of Adam. That curse was placed on Jesus as He bore our sin. 

They put it on Him, but in reality He put it on Himself. For us. 

For The Wicked - Isaiah 57:20-21

Isaiah 57:20-21 ESV 

But the wicked are like the tossing sea;

for it cannot be quiet,

and its waters toss up mire and dirt.

There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

We who believe God have separated from the formless sea of darkness and have been transferred into the land of light. 

The heathen rage in their futility, giving voice to the emptiness within their souls. They are surrounded by the mire and dirt stirred by the tossing of the sea, adrift and without hope. Peace is hidden by the murky water. 

While there is no peace for the wicked, they can leave that water at any time. There is a way. Scripture makes that plain. Jesus makes it so. 

A Difference

Israel was elected by God. He chose them. 

We are invited by God. We choose Him.